​So I decided to visit Matala SOLO . Wonder ,why the *** I would do that .. As a female travelling alone , sometimes I end up , really , being alone .I arrived in late afternoon . my bus was half full with no sign that there is a massive party at the end ….

VIEW FROM THE BEACH TO THE OLD HIPPIES CAVES . TO VISIT YOU HAVE TO PAY

VIEW OVER CAVES IN EVENING .WITH TENTS IN FRONT . ALL THIS JUST BEHIND THE STAGE .

PS.- Some photos found in this post are not owned by Parrotfish Journey . I just had to share some old school photos from matala back in a dayOld matala stories collected source : http://www.matala.nl/On the way to Matala and I feel very excited and can not wait . Almost pumped up with energy. Bus is half full and have first signs of relaxed atmosphere . A big difference already from yesterday’s visit to Malia .Madness .I feel good vibes already!!

MATALA BEACH – DAY AFTER FESTIVAL.

But as soon as we approached the end of Matala , there is was . Festival gates and crowds of people being it . People had painted flowers on their body and face .You could smell food from far away and music was clearly heard by the gates already . Strangers passing by me ,smiled , laughed and gave high fives .I loved it in an instance .

Matala festival is in the name of hippies . What i mean by it – they started it and then later on some people decided to invite bands and make an event of it . Real hippies are long gone, especially original ones and anyone who lives in the cave on Matala beach . Caves are a tourist attraction ( 3 euro entrance fee )

I explored for hours and somehow managed to drink for free . Somehow I drifted from one group to other .And from traditional Raki( drink ) to a beer . At some point in 1 AM I found myself in Mermaid cafe , where Janis …. Was playing music .I could hear it from distance . It sounded like a record , but not really like that . after 3 minutes of observation I understood . Janis was recording little sounds by mouth , violin and other instruments I have never seen . He would build it up slowly . Every sound would be recorded only for few seconds and then repeated , in order to create a beat.http://matalabeachfestival.com/aboutI felt right at home . And slowly managed to find out stories from different generations and even met a original hippy from 79 when he lived in village next to Matala , just not in cave – as that was done already .He was from Athens originally and used to take drugs back in a day , then be found this place and he stopped . He still laughs that it must have been peace vibe in a place.

Campsite

Empty streets in early morning

Everyone told me that now the real stuff only starts , after the festival days are done . If I stay , I can see all … Sounded tempting … But …next time I guess ..Few are still living in caves . They have everything in there . Shover , fire place , kitchen ..Full package .In the morning I was walking g around at 6 am and I could see many people still drunk walking around , some even playing with left over garbage near stageI decided to explore a little bit more before the 7 AM bus .Walked up the hills and seen few houses that are partially in the caves . Interesting little town this is I thought to myself , while walking bare feet up the hill.

Some people still live in Matala caves !

Peace .Love .Live the moment ! See you soon , Matala .And for Greek’ s who were in the festival .Yamas !It was the 1960s and a community of backpacking hippies had settled in Matala, a remote corner of the Mediterranean island where most locals had never seen a tourist before their arrival. It was here that Joni mitchellimmortalised the ideal hippie scene in her 1971 song “Carey”, overlooking the unspoilt beach and azure blue waters.Source :http://www.messynessychic.com/2015/04/21/the-hippie-caves-of-matala-that-housed-joni-mitchell/​

Matala

Morning and mess after festival

Matala memory board for everyone to leave their mark !

For one weekend in late June, the Matala Festival allows the town to relive the halcyon days of the 60s and 70s, as Matala transforms from a sleepy chilled-out seaside idyll into a full-blown rocking party town. June 2014 was the first year I’d been able to visit the festival, and I wasn’t left disappointed by the experience. There was live music, ‘hippy’ arts and crafts stalls and a great atmosphere of bonhomie and fun. Entry to the festival was free, and tourists and Greeks alike flocked from all over the island to pitch tents on the beach and enjoy a great weekend of live rock music. It was a photographer’s dream! There were loads of colourful characters to capture in an absolutely extraordinary setting as the windswept Libyan seacrashed against the shore and the sun melted below the horizon.Source :http://www.streethunters.net/blog/2015/04/21/matala-festival/